Bhubaneswar: In a sigh of relief to the Sardar Rajas Medical College cheating case prime accused A Johnsel Raja, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail yesterday.
The apex court ordered for Raja’s release on bail while making a hearing on his bail petition by in lieu of two bail bonds of Rs 5 lakh each. The bail was granted on health grounds, said the court.
Raja, who heads the Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust that ran Sardar Rajas Medical College in Kalahandi is accused of defrauding a sum to the tune of Rs 10 Cr from medical aspirants by means of their admission into MBBS courses. As per the allegation against him, he continued with the admission process at his college despite knowing the fact that the institution had lost recognition of Medical Council of India (MCI).
Raja, who is charged of criminal breach of trust and cheating, is also accused of obtaining MCI approval for his college by submitting fake and forged documents due to which the institution was closed on 2015-16, just two years after its launch at Jaring in Kalahandi district.
While Odisha Government had allotted 25 acres of land free of cost for the 300-beded Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital, around 124 students had taken admission into it at the time of the withdrawal of the MCI approval in 2015-16.
Raja was nabbed by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu on July 26 and was brought to Odisha on August 3. His bail plea was rejected at JMFC, Junagarh, Kalahandi at a later stage after which his counsel had moved to the apex court.
Also Read: Odisha Sardar Rajas Medical College Fraud, chief arrested by EOW from TN
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